What better to have for this monumental occasion than the meal I cooked myself on my birthday? (A. I celebrated with friends the day before so there is no need to worry that I ate alone on my birthday. B. If you know me, then this tells you the lag time between the actual meal and me posting this…whoops!) I got the inspiration for the steak from a dinner I had in a neighborhood restaurant (Barberry?) a couple of nights before with a couple of friends. Whilst eating I thought to myself (and aloud), “I can make that!” Hence, steak with balsamic glazed shallots.
Ingredients:
– steak (duh!)
– salt
– pepper
– Worcestershire sauce (don’t ask me to pronounce it)
– garlic powder
– chili powder
– olive oil
– shallots
– balsamic vinegar
Season both sides of the steak with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder, and then add a few shakes of the Worcestershire sauce. I like to poke the meat with a fork a few times to try to get the sauce/seasoning goodness to go down into the meat. I then let the meat marinate for about 30 minutes (or longer if you have the time) to absorb even more of the flavor. In a skillet over about a medium to medium-high flame, heat up a couple swirls of olive oil until you can see it ripple and add your steak. You should hear a nice sizzle – if it doesn’t sizzle then the pan isn’t hot enough. The sizzle lets you know that you’re getting a nice sear on the steak and producing some good flavors. Cook to your desired done-ness (I like medium well – not too pink, but not completely cooked beyond reproach either). Remove the steak and now it’s on to the shallots. Slice the shallots and saute them in the remaining olive oil and steak juices. Add in a few shakes of balsamic vinegar (I would guess maybe a tbsp or two?) and continue to saute so that the shallots get coated and the vinegar mixes well with the other juices in the pan. Pour the contents from the skillet over the steak and bon appetit!
And as much of a carnivore that I am, I couldn’t just eat steak with a few onion/garlic hybrids on top and think that was a complete meal. So I decided to have some pasta with green beans as a side. It’s uber simple: just pasta, butter, garlic powder, green beans, and a little parsley. Ta-da!
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